Hailed as an artistic visionary, a renowned celebrity wedding planner, bridal fashion designer, and author, David Tutera is a name that needs no introduction. Having completed more than 30 successful years in the industry, David has designed and planned some of the most extravagant weddings and celebrations, and is truly a planner extraordinaire! Having been recognized as one of the top planners in USA and honoured by the Life & Style magazine as ‘Best Celebrity Wedding Planner’, his client roster boasts some famous names such as such as Jennifer Lopez, The Rolling Stones, Elton John and others.
We are thrilled to be bringing to you this exclusive interview where David gets candid and shares his experiences, his outstanding journey, and his lookout into the future of the wedding industry. Read on…
Over 30+ years in the wedding industry, how has your journey been so far?
Every step of the way has been a fabulous journey. I have listened and learned on how to be the best version of myself, which allows for me to be honest with my clients and my team. Trust me, struggles equal success but you have to be willing accept your mistake and push forward.
What do you think is the biggest change the destination wedding industry is witnessing today?
I have seen most recently the chaos and confusion when it comes to destination weddings. Planner today more than ever must share accuracy to their clients. Budgets increase , depending on the location of the destination you need to make sure the product, the experts, the vendors are capable to produce your vision. You also have to have solid communication with the selected teams you are working with. Most likely when executing a destination wedding you are working with a new team that you may have never worked with. Do your homework in advance, BEFORE you sign a contract with your client. DO NOT promise clients something you can’t achieve.
As a wedding industry professional that thrives on creativity, where do you draw inspiration from for your work?
This is a simple answer…I draw my inspiration from life, from the beauty I see where ever I may be. My mind allows me to remember a great deal of ideas, and beauty. It is as if I have a folder in my mind and I pull out visual moments in live that I fell in love with and then use these visual to create unique one of a kind events. The one thing I refuse to do is to COPY any work I have seen in the industry. WE all must stand out and create OUR own masterpieces.
According to you what are the Top 3 trends that will rule the 2024 destination wedding sphere?
Great question yet a hard answer for us all in the industry, so I will not respond to what are the three trends but what I will definitely say that we should allow the industry to truly think outside the realm and create what YOU feel is unique and what you feel is magical. Allow for yourselves to BE THE TREND and not FOLLOW others.
What do you think is the biggest challenge for a wedding planner/service provider and what would be your advice to tackle them?
Our biggest challenge is to provide accuracy, with honesty with all our clients. To not over promise, be aware of budgets and, and create a vendor team that YOU KNOW will be able to execute. Now more than ever the world of events has become so challenging with longer wait time from vendors to provide quotes. As planners and designers, we now have to chase down our vendors and that is NOT the way our industry should operate.
What is something you feel brides or grooms should know/understand when it comes to working with a wedding planner?
TOP of the mind it is essential for planners to be open about budgets and process and time and make sure that your potential client has all the info they need to make their decisions based on creativity and financials. It is our job to keep them on the path to where they wish to go. DO NOT over sell or over deliver. Know your ability and be honest to yourself.
Do you think the digital domain especially social media has made the job a tad bit more difficult for wedding planners?
It makes me sad because social media has provided everyone the opportunity to simple copy, copy, copy. Wedding planners and designers do not have to think of the beauty they would like to create, because, you have far too much visuals to pull from. To be honest more than half of the events on social are not worthy of being seen. Just because you post it doesn’t mean it is brilliant.
Reflecting on your illustrious journey, if you could have gone back in time and done something differently what would it be?
I have no regrets in the journey I have lived so far. I only look ahead to what my journey will be as I step forward. I took the time to write last year my memoir –Journey to Joy – A Boy Unveiled. I am proud to share my story in the effort to provide self help and see that none of us are perfect. My advise is be kind to others, and be gentle on ourselves.
And lastly, if you could share one piece of advice for newcomers in the industry who look up to you and seek inspiration from your work, what would it be?
Lead with Kindness and follow next with being gracious to YOUR clients to your team and to all your vendors. You will receive excellent product and service when you showcase your appreciation to them. Always say thank you and always ask how they are doing. Our world today needs us! Yes they need all of us to provide beauty & emotion, and I believe that with all the chaos in the world OUR INDUSTRY is the medicine to happiness.
Image Credits: @davidtutera
